(a) Purpose. The purposes of this section are:
(1) To establish uniform (except as provided in a Wastewater Discharge Permit) requirements for direct and indirect contributors into the wastewater collection and treatment system owned and operated by City of Reed City and to enable the City of Reed City to comply with applicable State and Federal laws and the General Pretreatment Regulations (40 CFR, Part 403);
(2) To prevent the introduction of pollutants into the municipality's wastewater system which will:
A. Interfere with the operation of the system;
B. Cause the treatment plant to violate its NPDES Permit;
C. Contaminate the sludge;
D. Pass through the system, inadequately treated, into receiving waters or the atmosphere;
E. Pose a health threat to sewer workers; or
F. Be otherwise incompatible with the system.
(3) Except as provided in the next sentence, any wastewater having pH less than 5.0 or greater than 10.5 or having any other corrosive property capable of causing damage or hazard to structures, equipment, or personnel of the POTW. Wastewater with a pH not less than 2.0 nor greater than 12.5 may be discharged into the POTW force main which is designed to convey wastewater with such a pH range to the equalization basin at the POTW, provided that the user discharging wastewater outside the pH range of 5.0 to 10.5 but not less than 2.0 nor greater than 12.5 has an effective Wastewater Discharge Permit which authorizes such a discharge of wastewater and which specifies the allowable pH range.
(4) Any substance which may cause a public nuisance, cause hazard to life or prevent entry into the sewers for maintenance and repair.
(5) Heat in amounts which will inhibit biological activity in the POTW resulting in interference, but in no case heat in such quantities that the temperature at the POTW Treatment Plant exceeds 40 degrees C (104 degrees F) unless the Approval Authority, upon request of the POTW, approves alternate temperature limits.
(6) Petroleum oil, nonbiodegradable cutting oil, or products of mineral oil origin in amounts that will cause interference or pass through.
(7) Pollutants which result in the presence of toxic gases, vapors, or fumes within the POTW in a quantity that may cause acute worker health and safety problems.
(8) Any trucked or hauled pollutants, except at discharge points designated by the POTW.
(9) Any pollutant, including oxygen demanding pollutants released in a discharge at a flow rate and/or concentration (including any slug load), which may cause interference to the POTW.
(10) Any wastewater having effluent characteristics in excess of:
Pollutant | Limits |
Pollutant | Limits |
BOD | Shall not cause an exceedance of plant design capacity or the maximum allowable headworks loading for total influent at the POTW treatment plant and shall not exceed any discharge prohibition in (a)(1) or (a)(2) |
Suspended Solids | Shall not cause an exceedance of plant design capacity or the maximum allowable headworks loading for total influent at the POTW treatment plant and shall not exceed any discharge prohibition in (a)(1) or (a)(2) |
Total Phosphorus | Shall not cause an exceedance of plant design capacity or the maximum allowable headworks loading for total influent at the POTW treatment plant and shall not exceed any discharge prohibition in (a)(1) or (a)(2) |
Fats, Oil, and Grease | 100 mg/L |
Ammonia | Shall not cause an exceedance of plant design capacity or the maximum allowable headworks loading for total influent at the POTW treatment plant and shall not exceed any discharge prohibition in (a)(1) or (a)(2) |
Temperature | 150 degrees F to sewer/104 degrees F to POTW |
Chlorine Demand | 15 mg/L |
pH | 5.0 - 10.5 SU, except as provided in (a)(3) |
Aluminum | 7.83 mg/L |
Arsenic | 0.06 mg/L |
Pollutant | Limits |
Chromium (total) | 1.83 mg/L |
Copper | 1.10 mg/L |
Cyanide | 0.53 mg/L |
Lead | 0.50 mg/L |
Mercury | Non-detectable at EPA methods 245.1 |
Nickel | 1.22 mg/L |
Silver | 0.0018 mg/L |
Zinc | 0.81 mg/L |
Phenol | 0.7444 mg/L |
(b) Special Alternative Limits and Local Initiative Limits.
(1) Special Alternative Limits. The City may impose a special alternative limit ("SAL") on a User which may be in a Wastewater Discharge Permit or an Order and which allows wastewater otherwise prohibited by (a)(3) or (a)(10) numerical limits or numerical ranges to be discharged into the POTW. The SAL may include other special arrangements which are made between the City and the User. The City shall not be obligated to impose a SAL, but may do so at its sole discretion. The SAL or special arrangement may be terminated or modified at will at any time by the City. A SAL or special arrangement shall not create any vested rights or property rights for the User. A SAL or special arrangement shall not create rights to discharge to the POTW which the User would not have in the absence of a SAL or special arrangement. Provisions relating to termination or modification of a special arrangement may be more fully set forth in the SAL or special arrangement document. As a condition to the imposition of a SAL or entry into a special arrangement, the City shall require the User to sign an acknowledgement an acceptance of the provisions of this subsection. Any SAL or special arrangement may contain provisions for the User to pay a compensatory charge to the City. A SAL shall not be higher than a categorical Pretreatment Standard unless a removal credit or a fundamentally different factor variance applies to allow the User to exceed the otherwise applicable Categorical Pretreatment Standard, but such SAL shall not exceed the limit allowed by such removal credit or variance. A violation of a SAL or of the terms of any such special arrangement shall be a violation of this section. In determining a SAL or a special arrangement, the City shall allocate from the maximum allowable headworks loading, also referred to as the design capacity at the headworks, for the pollutant of concern to one or more Users, in amounts and on terms and conditions deemed appropriate by the City.
(c) Local Initiative Limits. The City may impose limits on a User for pollutants not specifically listed in (a)(10) above, which may be in a Wastewater Discharge Permit or in an Order. In determining a local initiative limit ("LIL"), the City shall consider available data on acceptable POTW pollutant loading based on POTW design, treatability of the pollutant, the potential for Pass-Through or Interference, current POTW pollutant loading, the properties of the pollutant, and other factors deemed appropriate by the City relevant to the particular pollutant. The City may also establish generally applicable LILs by City rulemaking. A generally applicable LIL may be established and shall be enforceable as a discharge prohibition provided the City first publishes notice of the proposed LILs in the newspaper in the City with the largest circulation, provides written Notice to Users who are known to the city to discharge a significant mass or concentration of the pollutant, and provides for an opportunity to interested persons to submit written comments. The City, if significant comments are received, shall hold a public meeting to take additional oral and written comments. After these procedures are completed, the City shall publish the final enforceable LILs in the same newspaper along with the effective date of the LILs.
(Ord. 22C. Passed 4-15-96; Ord. Unno. Passed 4-19-04.)